You Never Know
by fatsnoopylove
Summary: A puppy comes into the marauder's lives. Where did it come from?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer. You know what goes here. Don't anything.

**You Never Know **

Chapter 1.

Sirius was sitting down on one of the common room couches of the Gryffindor commons. He was doing what he was always doing at this time. He was eating a ham and cheese with mayonnaise sandwich that he had sneaked from the kitchens with the help of the overly friendly house-elves. He looked up, while stuffing one of the five sandwiches into his mouth, to see his best mate coming to him with something…fluffy?...in his arms.

"Hey Sirius," called James "Do you still have food on you? Like some cookies or strips of meat like ham, turkey, or otherwise." He said as he continued coming towards Sirius.

"Huh, oh, yeah, here." Said Sirius peeling pieces of ham from his sandwich.

"Thanks." James said as he proceeded to feed the slices of ham to the ball of black fluff in his arms.

Sirius hear slight whimpers and small yips of thanks coming from the fluff ball. It was then that he realized what the ball of black fuzz truly was.

"James, why and where did you get a puppy?"

"Hagrid and I were walking through the pumpkin patch. You know how he's always trying to force his rock cakes down my throat? I got him to walk with me so he wouldn't. We found this little guy hiding behind two of Hagrid's giant pumpkins. Not much of hiding place if you ask me. He contrasts with the pumpkins a lot. Though, he could have been trying to be a shadow. Hagrid took him back to his cottage to clean him im' up but Fang actually decided to get a backbone and started growling at him. So I said "I'll take him." Couldn't help it. I took one look at his big puppy eyes staring up at me. If I didn't know any better I'd say they were Lily's eyes. You know I can't resist those.

"James, dogs aren't allowed in Hogwarts. Wait, what am I saying? Give me the little guy." James laughed as he handed the small black puppy over. Once in Sirius' arms, he proceeded to try and lick Sirius. With his little body, he only managed to lick the bottom of Sirius' chin.

"You'll help me take care of him, right?" Asked James. "I mean Hagrid agreed to take care of him when I have classes. But he doesn't think, with the way Fang was acting, that he'll be very safe if he sleeps in Hagrid's hut."

"Yeah, I'll help, but how are you going to keep it from Lily. Now that your Head Boy, you two share the same room. Granted, it's bigger than most, but I doubt she'll be busy enough to miss barks, pee spots, and missing homework assignments."

"Well, er…" said James as he started to avert his eyes.

"James…What are you wanting me to do?" said Sirius warily.

"Well…er…I was hoping that you could take care of him." Said James.

"NO!!!" said Sirius firmly.

"AWW, come on, you know that I think she's finally coming around to me. Something like this could set her off again. Besides, you know I think she's probably figured out that you're a dog animagus. Plus she'd expect this from you." Said James pleading

"um,…um…oh I know…a bribe. What do you want?"

"The Spears quidditch box seats tickets. During the summer, you pay rent when we get an apartment. Throughout the rest of this year, you have to sneak to the kitchens to me food. I get to ask you to go to the kitchens for me for up to six times a day. You have to let me look off your transfiguration notes and homework. AND" said Sirius taking a deep breath, "You have to clean up the dog doo-doo."

"Done." Said James "Wait, What? I'm not cleaning the dog's doo-doo. You're the one who's a dog. You do it."

"You want Lily? You clean it up?"

"ARrrgh, fine!!" growled James as he started to walk out the door.

"Hey, where ya going mate?" called Sirius.

"I'm going to go to the edge of the Forbidden Forest." Said James

"Why?"

"I need to start training this little guy." Said James looking down, cooing, and seeming to have forgotten the tiff with Sirius.

"What make you think you can train him?"

"I trained you didn't I? It can't be that much harder."

"What are you going to name him?"

"For the time being…Lily's Fluff." Said James being totally serious. With that statement, Sirius started barking out laughter.

"See ya mate."

As James exited the common room and made his way to the Forbidden Forest, he was unaware of the pair of eyes curiously watching him.

::::::: Forbidden Forest Edge:::::

"Okay boy. I guess I have to first teach you come, sit, and stay. Alright, Sit." He commanded firmly at the same time pushing the puppy's rump down gently into a sitting position. Unfortunately, the puppy didn't want to stay down. He wanted to play. So he continued to get up each time James put him in the sitting position and said sit. About half an hour, James finally tired of the uncooperative puppy and sat down on the grass. As he laid back on the soft spring grass, he closed his eyes and felt the puppy climb onto his stomach and start circling himself, preparing itself for sleep. As the cool breeze blew, James felt himself lulled to sleep. Just on the edge of sleep, he heard a female scream and then an explosion.

_That girl_, he thought, _it sounded a lot like_…

"LILY!!!" he screamed sitting up. Sweat was dripping of his face. He looked around and saw nothing amiss. He looked to see Lily's fluff standing on all fours upset and all of his hair standing on their ends.

He picked up the puppy and started running only thinking one thing. _Got to find Lily_. He ran and ran. He ran for the great hall, he thrust open the great hall doors. Unaware of scene he was making. He looked up and down wildly at the Gryffindor table, fear etched in his face. _There_. He saw the red hair. _She was the only one in Gryffindor with red hair like that_. He ran as fast as he could to her. When he got to her, he saw nothing was wrong with her. Relief flooded through him. He pulled her into his arms with his free hand. His body wracked and shaking with suppressed sobs.

"James." He heard. "James" He heard it again. "Are you alright?" said the worried voice of Lily. He looked up, still shaking slightly, to see Lily with a concerned look on her face and several of the teachers around him.

"You're okay." He heard himself sob. "I though something happened. I was lying on the grass and...It was terrible."

"I'm okay James. I'm okay. I was just a nightmare"

"Just a nightmare," he said trailing off. He kept looking at her eyes, never wavering, closer he moved. Closer.

"Yip." Her face suddenly turned away from him, breaking the moment.

_What's she looking at?_ Realization hit. _Oh, Crap. I forgot about Lily's fluff. _

"Is that a dog?" She said turning angry.

This a new story as you can probably tell. I learned something recently. I can write, but I can't think up situations. So if you want to help out and have to some interesting ideas, tell me and I'll write them.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the rest of the characters. I own this story though

I need a Beta Reader. If you feel like being one for me, then please message me.

I'd like a few more reviews to egg me on to making another chapter. So take the time to read AND REVIEW my story please. I don't care if you just put a smiley face. It takes a lot of time to update these days because of my college projects, even more so now that the end of the semester is coming up. It'll take a lot to make me write after school ends b/c I'll be getting a job. Wish me luck in finding one.

You Never Know

Chapter 2

"My dear professor McGonagall, you're looking simply ravishing." Said James in his flattering voice.

"Please, Mr. Potter, no flatteries today." Said Minevra McGonagall in that no-nonense voice that quashed James' hope that he could flatter his way out of his current position. Immediately after Lily had asked if he had a dog, the professors who had been worried about him, turned shocked. McGonagall was perhaps the most shocked. James chalked it up to her animagus form. That hadn't stopped the newly named puppy from trying to jump out of his arms where he proceeded to run after McGonagall, who after seeing the exuberant puppy coming for her, had pulled up her robe past her ankles and hightailed it to the other end of the Great Hall. The chase lasted a full five minutes, ending with McGonagall ending up in a heap being licked all over by the by the happy puppy. With that, James had scooped Lily's Fluff up and then James was immediately taken by the arm by the now, once again, stiff upper lipped McGonagall where he was now being marched to Professor Dumbledore's office. He had tried a multiple number of things already to get out of his predicament. Had had already tried bribery, whining, and scolding the puppy. Apparently flattering wasn't going to work either. He didn't have much time to think of anything else because McGonagall had stopped in front of a large gruesome looking gargoyle. It's large stretched out wings and hunched of body blocked the spiraling stairs behind it. James knew that there were stairs behind the gargoyle because he been here many a time to receive punishment for the various pranks he and Sirius had pulled.

Just thinking about their last ever prank that they had pulled on a sniveling jerk from slytherin named Severus Snape, brought a smile to his lips. The last prank they had pulled had been one week from schools end. They had made it so that every time Snape picked up a book, it screamed at him. Every time he put his clothes on, they shrank to two sizes too small. If he didn't close his eyes every half hour, for at least five minutes, he would get so dizzy that he would throw up. What ever he ate was either too hot or too cold. And when ever he sat down, the chairs grew wooden bonds and tied his legs to theirs. Ahh yes, they had made sure to go out with a bang. Professor Dumbledore had tried to punish them, but by the time he had figured out what was wrong with Snape and that they had done it, it was already the last day of school. They had gotten 2 weeks detention at the beginning of the school year. James, waited, holding the black furball, while McGonagall said the password.

"Cream Puffs" she said, which elicited a snort from him while the gargoyle slid to the side, revealing the revolving staircase. Every time James came up here, there was a new password. That must have been hard on Professor Dumbledore especially when James and Sirius' pranks were consecutive.

Walking up the staircase brought James' mind to the present problem. Was he really going to get in trouble for finding and helping out a small helpless puppy?

Upon enter Professor Dumbledore's office, he looked around. He was still amazed at the sheer amount of items that Dumbledore had in his office. Even though he had been in here over 300 times in the past 7 years, it was amazing how an office didn't change over the years. There still were the tall bookcases that seemed to go on forever, filled with magical trinkets. There was the giant closet that seemed to always be closed. This time, though, the deep mauve contains that obscured it were closed also. There, in the middle of the room where he always had some various forms of candy, was the ever-filled bowl of candy. He had cherry fizzers in it this time. There to the far wall, in front of a spiraling staircase that led to Dumbledore's observatory and living quarters, was Dumbledore's desk. It was littered, like always, with papers and ever-present lemon drops. Beside his desk on the left was Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix. And sitting behind the great oak desk was Dumbledore himself, with his long flowing beard and twinkling eyes behind half-moon spectacles.

"James, sit down please" and James sat. "Lemon Drop?" James couldn't find the words so he just shook his head no.

"Now, James, you do know that pets besides owls, toads, and cats are not allowed, right? Besides, I thought you had an owl."

"I do have an owl. And I knew that no dogs were allowed but, couldn't make an exception for this dog. Lily's fluff is just too adorable to let go. Everytime I put him down, he starts to cry and give me the sweetest sad face look ever."

"Lily's Fluff" said Dumbledore laughing outright. "James," said Dumbledore "I can't made an exception for you just because you are head boy or Gryffindor's Top Chaser. You should know that. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to return that to your parents."

"But that's just it, my mum and dad didn't send him. I was walking and I found him in the pumpkin patch. I would give him to Hagrid to watch over during the school year but, fang don't like him."

"Doesn't and that may be but, there are reasons for school rules."

"But, but, professor. How can you turn out a puppy with the most beautiful green eyes like the most beautiful girl in school? I certainly can't. And if I can't get you to at least let me keep in my dormitories at all times, then I'm going to have sneak around you and you above all the teachers know that I can do that."

"James, no threats now please. Let me see the dog."

"Are you going to return him to me?" asked James on his guard.

"Yes, we are going to Madam Pomfrey so the puppy can be look over. She doesn't do animals but, she can run a simple diagnostic. Knowing you James, you wanted to avoid detention, so you didn't think to check for problems other than what the sex was."

After the blush coming from Dumbledore's dead on analysis resided, James said, "Alright but, can I carry the little guy there?"

"Very well."

It was an uneventful trip to the hospital wing. James and Dumbledore ended up not saying anything to each other besides a "thank you" for opening the door to the hospital wing.

"Albus, is there anything you need?"

"Yes, my dear Poppy, James here found a lost puppy and failed to check him over. I would like you to check him over."

"Ooooh, no you don't. I work on humans not animals."

"Please Poppy, It's a simple diagnostic. I would do it myself if it were not that I have failing eyesight and you having been the resident expert on diagnosis."

"Wow," said James, "If you do that with all the professors, it's no wonder why I can't flatter Professor McGonagall."

Dumbledore simply brought his long index finger to his lips.

"Fine, I'll do the diagnostic but, that's it." Said Poppy bringing the conversation back to the reason they were there.

"Thank you Poppy." Said Dumbledore.

"James, put the puppy onto the bed and try to keep him in place." James did as he was told. Poppy took out her wand and said the spell.

"reprehendo diagnostic" Blue light filtered out of her wand and continued in a swirling mass until it encircled Lily's fluff. Several different graphs appeared in the air. One had bars on it and another had to intersecting lines with squiggle constantly changing on it. Yet another one was a graph with only one red bar that had notched points pointing out in various symbols what level the red bar was at.

Poppy pulled one graph forward and told the details that only she seemed to understand from it. The first one said that he was in perfect health if not a little hungry. The other one said he was apparently a little scared. Finally Poppy the one with the red bar forward and gasped.

"Albus, this puppy is an animagus."

"Are you sure?"

"It has to be. If it's not then it's a very extraordinary puppy to have the magic levels of a wizard."

"Fine then, ostendo sum bestia," said Dumbledore pointing his wand at the puppy.

James knew what that was. It was the spoken reverse spell for forcibly undoing an animagus spell. He had used it and it had been used on him many times when he first started training to be an animagus, however secret it may have been. James watch the white light that filtered out jabbed at the puppy. The puppy cried out in pain but it didn't change into a wizard. Dumbledore released the spell when nothing happened. James picked the puppy up to comfort it. It curled up into his arms immediately after being picked up."

"I don't understand Albus. If it was a regular puppy, it wouldn't feel any pain. But it was rather obvious that if felt a great deal of pain."

"Perhaps, it was in pain because the spell is meant to react with a magical core." "Anyway, I am going to allow you to keep that puppy in your dormitories during the day. But that is only because there is something about that puppy that I trust and don't trust at the same time." Said Dumbledore.

"YES!!!"

James ran from the ward. The rest of the day was rather uneventful.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry it took so long. I've been trying to get a job. I still haven't found one by the way. My town isn't a big place and it further doesn't cater to summer jobs for college students. To those that reviewed about the grammar problems…I already knew about them… I was trying to put to some normal everyday speech into it. Nobody goes around speaking perfect English.

I read another story on and I just love this saying from it.

_You think you're hot shit in a champagne class_

_In reality, you're just cold diarrhea in a Dixie cup. _

_I don't own Harry Potter. Just this made up story that I made from J.K.Rowlings' Harry Potter._

_Anyway._

_Ch. 3/?_

Things never went the way they were supposed to when HE was involved. How did he do it? Ugh…James Potter was the most annoying guy she had ever met…hands down. Nothing ever followed procedure or rules when HE was involved. Potter just shows up with a dog, no puppy, makes a big scene with it, gets to the headmaster's office where he WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN, at the very least, BEEN PUT IN DETENTION. But not a single thing had happened to HIM. Lily continued to fume over the unfairness of it all and how James Bloody Potter always seemed to get away with everything. IT JUST WASN'T BLOODY FAIR. Lily continued her rant stopping her fast paced walk only to think another comment about how much of an arse HE was.

'There's the annoying creep now' thought Lily as she stopped by a window. There was James Potter, the ever annoying, head boy who continued to annoy her to no end ever though he had stopped constantly asking her out. There he was doing what most girls would find adorable. He was playing with his newly acquired puppy. But Lily wasn't your normal everyday girl. No, she was proud to say was the only witch who hadn't fallen for that, crazy haired, overly inflated ego, proud prankster, James Potter. 'But you have to admit girl that he can be pretty sweet…' she thought remembering last term when she had received notice of her parent's death. James had stayed by her side. He hadn't said one word at all. 'Oh God, I did not just think that. Now is not the time to b e remembering the one time that he's semi normal.' ARR. 'That dog is just going to "HAPPEN" to be found missing. Maybe that would take Potter down a notch.' 'No that wouldn't be fair to the dog.' 'After all, it's just a puppy. There's no way that it has survival smarts.'

As she strode off in a huff from the window, Lily forgot to do one very important thing when walking. Look up.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

It's funny how unexpected things always hit you like a ton of bricks. And that was exactly what happened to Albus Dumbledore. He had learned over time through his many years at Hogwarts, first as a teacher and now as the headmaster, students were always in a rush and often seemed to be forgetful of slowing down when they were in a hurry. When Albus looked up, the ton of bricks hit him. It wasn't when he had fallen down, or when he realized that he would need to see Poppy, yet again (this time for himself). It was when he looked up and saw the one person he would never have thought that he would run into because of carelessness. There in front of him was a very flustered Minerva McGonagall.

"Minerva…what an unexpected surprise."

"Headmaster, forgive me, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking."

"No, no, it's quite alright. These old bones have taken worse spills and I'm sure they will take many more."

"I'm dreadfully sorry. It's just that, that…MAN…gets on my last nerves."

"That…man..?"

"Yes. THAT MAN…" said McGonagall looking for recognition of who the particular MAN was in Albus' face. Seeing none, she decided to clarify for him. "Surely you know of the Griffindor-Slytherin house rivalry."

"Yes, I'm well aware of it. Truly I wish it would stop but, I don't see how the house rivalry has anything to do with one particular person."

"Slytherin is yet again on its way to victory of the quidditch cup." She said in a sarcastic voice that wasn't Minerva McGonagall at all. "I'm well aware of the dismal defeat the ravenclaws had against the slytherins. But Professor Slughorn has to keep rubbing it in my face that he thinks that the since they have a superb new keeper, that slytherins will win the quidditch cup. Not only that but he keeps inviting me to his soirées so he can show off his new keeper. Do you know what the students call his little parties?"

"No, I'm afraid i don't."

"They call it slug club parties.

"My, my, they do come up with the oddest names."

"Anyway, Albus, I must be going. I have to finish grades papers before I watch the detentionites in detention.

"Minerva, before you go, I have a favor to ask you."

"Ask away Albus."

"I need you to look into something for me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Damn poles. Who in their right minds would put poles in the middle of the walk-way? Damn poles. Damn POTTER and his scared look. Damn him for getting away with everything.

Lily Evans was not a happy camper. The fact that she had been stewing over Potter all day was not helped by her running head long into a 10ft. post. Now sporting a giant bruise smack dab on her forehead did not help soothe her anger at all. It also didn't help that the one she had been stewing over was now coming her way.

"Potter, why do you always show up when I'm pissed at you?"

"Well, why are you pissed at me?"

"Because you always get away with everything."

"Like how? I'm constantly in detention even though I'm headboy."

"You and that puppy. First there was that mutt I saw you with and now this puppy."

"What mutt?"

"That big black mutt with the huge feet. At first I thought that they had made you get rid of it. But then I saw it again near the forbidden forest several times."

"Did, uh, this mutt have a thin white stripe around one of its ankles?" said James warily looking between Sirius and Lily.

"Yeah and I remember it having really big pads. I remember because it seemed like he was floating when he ran because the pads made his feet higher off the ground."

"Padfoot isn't mine. He's a mutt that doesn't know how to do as he's told!" said James glaring at Sirius.

"Well, you didn't say anything about the puppy."

"Lily's fluff is just a puppy. I almost didn't get to keep him but, Madam Pomfrey said he had the magic level of a wizard. We found out he's not an animagus and Professor Dummbledore wants him kept here till we learn why he has the magic levels that high." Said James repositioning himself.

"Wait…you named him after me?" asked Lily looking like she was seriously considering saying awww how sweet but, then she snapped back to herself and became snappy but calmer than she was before. "Why didn't you name him after yourself? I mean look at him, his hair is exactly like yours. All over the places.

"I named him after you because he has your beautiful eyes." Said James.

"Wha…what?" stammered Lily.

"Yeah…I named him Lily's fluff because his eyes are exactly like yours. See!?" said James holding Lily's fluff out to within a few inches of Lily's face.

"…" "James I don't know what to say." Said Lily on the verge of tears.

"Well…you could say that you're not mad at me anymore."

"Fine…I'm not mad at you anymore. After all, you did have a good reason for having the dog."

"Now you can say that you'll go on a date with me."

"Nice try but, no."

"Oh well. Had to try." Sighed James. "Hey Lily, besides Remus, you're the smartest person I know. Remus is already trying to figure out why the puppy is the way he is. Or at least where he comes from. Do you want to help Remus and I search for more on him."

"Yeah, sure, I guess. It's the least I could do since I got mad at you for nothing and then taking it out on you." said Lily.

"Great it's a date."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sorry this took so long. I kept trying to get the chapter to end but it never seemed like it was. I also started writing the outline to another story so, I haven't been able to think of ideas for this story.

Thanks for reading chapter 3. I have to warn you, it'll probably be awhile before chapter 4.


End file.
